A colony for 50 years, federated , Unified to Ethiopia , in 1991's seceded after three decades of rebellion. Since 1998 Eritrea is at War, harboring proxy warriors especially the notorious Al- Shabab. Torture ,imprisonment , thousands fleeing, no religious freedom , the only university is closed, everybody is in the army, No Parliament, No election, No functioning institution, No free press & all living journalists are in prison. Eritrea is called the North Korea of Africa.

Friday, November 30, 2012

November 27, 2012 — Eritrean Minister of Information Ali Abdu arrived in Asmara from an undisclosed trip abroad, ending a week-long rumor made by Assenna.com that the former guerrilla fighter had defected to Canada.

Ali Abdu arrived at Asmara International Airport around 3:30 PM local time today. He was later seen walking in the capital and discussing with citizens without any security detail, several witnesses reported by phone.

Over the years, Assenna has made a number of claims that were later found to be completely fabricated, which has earned it an unflattering nickname of 'Hassenna' (we lied) among Eritrean youths.

Even with its credibility being called into question, the London-based website was able to receive western media attention in late April, after it falsely reported Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki had passed away from a liver ailment.

Assenna, which broadcasts to Eritrea three times a week through its radio frequency found on 9610kHz, is likely distributing false information to destabilize the Red Sea State, an observer familiar with the situation noted.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Although his official post has been Minister of Information, Ali Abdu has been actively involved in leading PFDJ’s foreign intelligence activities, which includes providing support to Somalia’s Ashabab and Ethiopia’s opposition forces in the Diaspora. Hence, the danger for the dictatorial PFDJ regime won’t be losing its Minister of information; its inability to secure the highly classified, secret information that are already in Ali Abu’s hands will rather be lethal. During the liberation struggle era, Ali Abdu was radio operator of Isaias Afewerki, current president of Eritrea. Soon after Eritrea’s independence, he had been deputy chairman of PFDJ’s satellite youth organisation, until he was promoted to become Minister of Information of Eritrea.As Ali Abdu has been the face of the dictatorial PFDJ government in recent years; his departure will be a heavy blow to the regime and will bring the serious cracks within it into the surface. Minister Ali Abdu’s wife had sought asylum in Canada several years earlier.

Eritrea

ERITREA - AVOID NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada advises against non-essential travel to Eritrea. The political situation is highly unstable, due to ongoing tension between Eritrea and neighbouring countries, and could become violent at any time.

Regional Advisory for the border areas of Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada advises against all travel to the border areas of Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti. Consult the Security tab for more information."

The group alleged that Eritrean leaders have become more than ever corrupted and are lately confiscating military budgets to their own coffers.

The opposition leader further said the Red Sea nation is witnessing a growing division among political and military leaders of the country.

As a result "the Eritrean Army has intensified its opposition against the ill military policies" he said adding "Eritrean defence forces doesn't any more have the trust on its leaders and has lost the spirit to militarily defend [their] own nation".

Haron said, now was the right time to act against Eritrean government, calling on the Eritrean Army, opposition forces, as well as the Eritrean people at home and aboard to jointly unite to oust the regime.

According to the opposition group the mass revolution could be ignited in the coming few weeks.

Eritrea is a one party state, and does not have any legally functioning political opposition to the ruling People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ).

MILLITARY STIKE

The Ethiopian-based, Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO) vowed to carry out military strikes to topple the Eritrean regime.

Military officials of the group on Tuesday told Sudan Tribune that its fighters are making necessary preparations to carry out strong military offences. RSADO leader called on all Eritrean opposition forces to unify.

The Eritrean Afar forces have in the past carried out a number of cross border military attacks against targets inside Eritrea.

Rival Ethiopia which fought a border war with Eritrea during the 1998-2000 has in the past said it was ready to help the opposition forces and the people of Eritrea in their struggle to topple the regime of Isaias Afeworki.

Ethiopia and Eritrea frequently trade accusations of backing rebel groups to destabilize one the other.

Addis Ababa accuses Asmara of supporting outlawed rebel groups such as the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) as well as the Somali al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab.

RSADO chairman, Ibrahim Haron finally called on the international community to put pressure against the Eritrean regime and extend its support to the ongoing struggle to bring a democratic change in Eritrea

Haron noted an urgent need of international support to avoid the slide of Eritrea into a failed state like was seen in neighboring Somalia

Eritrea is among the world's top human right violators, according to human rights groups, who say that, thousands of political prisoners remain detained in secret underground jails without any charge.

Political repression, intimidation, and forced conscription have also driven tens and thousands of Eritreans into exile.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Reporters Without Borders filed a complaint with the public prosecutor in Paris on 6 November 2012 accusing persons unknown of acts of piracy against Radio Erena, an Eritrean exile radio station based in Paris which broadcasts by satellite to the Horn of Africa and which is backed by Reporters Without Borders.

A pirate transmission jammed the station's signal on 14 August. Arabsat, the satellite operator that carried Radio Erena on its BADR-6 satellite, reacted by suspending the station because the jamming was disrupting other signals. It restored Radio Erena on 2 September only to suspend it again two days later, this time indefinitely, because the jamming had resumed. The station's website was meanwhile the target of a cyber-attack on 28 August.

"Radio Erena's programmes can no longer be heard by Eritreans living in Eritrea because its satellite broadcasting has been paralysed for more than three months," Reporters Without Borders said.

"A judicial investigation has to be launched in France with the aim of establishing the precise origin of these acts of sabotage and prosecuting all those responsible, both the perpetrators and the instigators. We have done this because we want to shed light on all the circumstances surrounding this piracy, including where the jamming is coming from and who ordered it.

"Geolocation indicates that the pirate transmission jamming the signal originates from within Eritrea. The government must be doing this in order to gag an independent broadcaster it clearly finds very irritating. This should come as no surprise from the rulers of a country ranked last in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index for the past five years.

"But President Issaias Afeworki's government will not get away with it. The complaint that we have filed points out that this piracy is completely illegal. Neither Radio Erena nor Reporters Without Borders have said their final word."

The Radio Erena staff and its supporters have been able to repair the damage to the website while mirror sites have been created. But satellite broadcasting has not resumed so the station is not being received in Eritrea or anywhere else in the Horn of Africa.

For the time being Radio Erena is only broadcasting on the Internet, but only the Eritrean diaspora can access the web broadcasts because the Internet is not sufficiently developed in Eritrea.

As a Paris-based radio station, Radio Erena operates under a convention ratified by France's Higher Council for Broadcasting (CSA). The complaint alleged "disruption of over-the-air broadcasting by an authorized service" and "disruption of an automated data processing system" under article L. 39-1 of the Post and Electronic Communications Code and articles 323-2 and 323-5 of the Criminal Code.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Nairobi — The government of Eritrea on Thursday blamed Ethiopia for its delay in being accepted to rejoin the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Eritrean Ambassador to Kenya Beyene Russom told a press conference in Nairobi that Ethiopia was fighting his country's efforts to join IGAD.

"Mainly it was Ethiopia that prevented Eritrea from coming back. It accused Eritrea of doing this and doing that... it was accusing the country of wrong doing and the other countries were listening to what it was saying," he said.

While he said that his country was ready to embrace peace with all countries, he regretted that Eritrea was not getting along with Ethiopia.

However he said Eritrea was ready to dialogue but on condition that Ethiopia withdraws its troops from Eritrea.

"All countries should see us as strategic friends. But you know we are still not in good terms with Ethiopia because of the border conflict. They should have withdrawn their forces, we have told the world including Ethiopia we can start our diplomatic relations even tomorrow when they withdraw their troops," he said.

Russom further said Eritrea will hold talks with the United Nations to have sanctions against his country and citizens dropped, "we are speaking to the United Nations, even the elements and the mere reasons for putting sanctions were not there from the very beginning; there is no proof!"

He said since Eritrea was alleged to be funding al Shabaab militia, it had led to the international community to enforce sanctions against Eritrea.

On Monday, President Mwai Kibaki appealed to Eritrea to support regional peace before it rejoins IGAD announcing that Kenya wants to work with peace-oriented nations.

In a press statement, Kibaki welcomed Eritrea's decision to make a comeback to IGAD and also appealed for its support from other countries.

Kibaki also promised Eritrea that the government will look at the issue of Eritrean nationals not getting visas to travel to Kenya.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Addis Ababa — European jurists have brought the cases of long imprisoned Swedish-Eritrean journalist and activist, Dawit Isaac to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR).

According to Reporters Without Borders, Jesús Alcalá, Percy Bratt and Prisca Orsonneau referred the cases of the journalist to ACHPR on 27 October, a day that marks his 12 year imprisonment without trial in an Eritrean prison.

The Red Sea nation has in the past affirmed that its own court system is independent and could legally handle the case of Dawit Isaac and other journalists who have remain languishing in the country's harsh detention facilities for over a decade.

The latest move by the European Jurists was in response to Eritrea's court failure to respect and exercise the civil right to obtain a writ of habeas corpus as protection against illegal and arbitrary imprisonment.

"Eritrea will now be forced to an embarrassing process before the African Commission for failing to writ of habeas corpus" said the Paris-based watchdog while welcoming the initiatives taken by the European jurists.

Reporters Without Borders noted that the imprisonment of Dawit Isaac runs counter to both Eritrean law and several African and international conventions.

Based in Gambia, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) protects and promotes human rights within the African Union under the framework of the rights guaranteed by the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.

Accordingly, the Commission among others decides whether alleged human rights abuses that violate the Charter were committed and further investigates human rights violations through fact-finding missions.

After Ethiopia last month pardoned and released two Swedish journalists Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye - who were accused of terrorism related charges - Swedish foreign minister, Carl Bildt, said that the his government is working to free Dawit Isaak.

The Swedish government said Isaak's case was not only priority to the Swedish government but also priority within the EU, which has made repeated calls for his release.

Isaak, who is a 48 and married with three children, was imprisoned by the Eritrean authorities in 2001 after publishing articles that were critical of the Eritrean regime, particularly calling for democratic reforms in one of the most repressive nations of the world.

He then published his articles in one of the country's first independent newspapers, Setit, which he co-founded. the newspaper was closed-down when the government cracked down on independent press outlets, arresting dozens of prominent journalists and dissidents.

Since his imprisonment 12 years ago, many of Isaac's colleagues have died in prison. In August Reporters Without Borders reported that three more journalists had perished in Eritrean prisons.

In October 2011 there were rumors that Issak had died in prison.

Last year Dawit Isaac was awarded the 2011 Golden Pen of Freedom, a distinction presented by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) for his commitment to press freedom, democratic reforms and civil liberties.

International press and human rights groups label the tiny Red Sea nation as one of the world's top press freedom violators and Africa's leading jailer of journalists.

Currently there are at least 30 Eritrean journalists are imprisoned facing inhuman and ill treatment on a daily bases, according to human rights groups.

Three European jurists referred the case of the imprisoned Swedish-Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaac to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights on 27 October, his 48th birthday and the 12th in succession that he has spent in an Eritrean jail.

The Swedish section of Reporters Without Borders issued the following press release about the initiative:

Today, 27 October 2012, Dawit Isaac turns 48.
It is his twelfth birthday in an Eritrean prison.
The struggle to free him goes on.
His case is now being brought to the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.

Reporters Without Borders welcomes the initiative by jurists Jesús Alcalá, Percy Bratt and Prisca Orsonneau. They have sent a legal writ to the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights in The Gambia. The Commission protects and promotes Human Rights within the African Union. This means that the three jurists take the case from last year, further. Then they filed a writ for Habeas corpus for Dawit Isaac with the High Court of Eritrea.

In an earlier case before the African Commission the Eritrean Government has stated that its own court system is independent ant could handle the case of Dawit Isaac and others. It was also stated before the Commission that Habeas corpus is a principle in the country as a protection from arbitrary arrest and imprisonment.
But the High Court of Asmara has not reacted to the writ for Habeas Corpus for Dawit Isaac. Therefore the case is now being brought to the African Commission. The imprisonment of Dawit Isaac runs counter to both Eritrean law and several African and international conventions. Several of his colleagues have died in prison already. In August Reporters Without Borders reported that three more had perished: Dawit Habtemichael, Mattewos Habteab and Wedi Itay.

In an article published on 26 October 2012 in the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet the three jurists write:We are running out of time and Dawit Isaac runs the risk of ending up like his colleagues.
It is still possible for the Eritrean High Court to demand that the authorities bring Dawit Isaac from his prison and present him.
But instead of doing this Eritrea may now be forced to an embarrassing process before the African Commission. Lately the Eritrean regime has come under growing criticism from other African countries. Eritrea’s actions harm the reputation of the entire continent.
There is a simple way to stop that.
All that Eritrea has to do is to abide by its own laws and release Dawit Isaac.

British border officials got a Halloween surprise when they found three people trying to sneak into the country by hiding in a truck packed with coffins.

The Border Force said three citizens of the African country Eritrea were found among dozens of coffins in the vehicle, which had been loaded up in Bulgaria - across the border from Dracula’s Transylvania home.

However, unlike the notorious fictional count, the would-be migrants preferred not to avail themselves of the coffins’ comforts and were instead found wedged between the boxed cargo.

​

British border officials got a Halloween surprise when they found three people trying to sneak into the country by hiding in a truck packed with coffins

Officials said that the three Eritreans were found on Monday at the port of Dunkirk in northern France, where the truck was waiting to board a ferry to Britain.

The trio’s plan to cross to the other side - of the English channel, that is - to find a new life in the UK came to a timely end when the border patrol’s sniffer dog was called in to help officers.

France is a key gateway for UK border control experts who, as well as using sniffer dogs, use heartbeat detectors, carbon dioxide probes and physical searches to find people hiding in vehicles.

“Our strong presence in France and our close collaboration with the French authorities helps protect the whole of the UK from people attempting to enter the country illegally,” said a Border Force officer.

He added that the coffin truck discovery was unusual but was by no means the only strange place they had found people - he said that in the past they had also discovered people in shipments of dog biscuits and bathtubs.

“This shows exactly why we base staff in France -

to stop would-be illegal immigrants before they can reach the UK,” he added. The three Eritreans were handed over to French border police and the truckload of coffins continued their, not yet final, journey to a funeral director in west London.

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It is said that truth is the first casualty of war. But after wars have ended and nations are rebuilding, truth is a potent foe, too.

A free press and a strong academic establishment pose great threats to a despotic regime, and are often the first to feel pressure. In a News Feature on page 24, we document such tensions in Eritrea, where there are efforts to remove foreign influences from the nation’s medical schools and to break up its academic institutions. Eritreans who have fled or been exiled lament the sorry state of these institutions, and fear that by severing ties to US universities, the government has squandered chances of extraordinary gains in public health. (Representatives of the Eritrean government did not respond to several requests for comments on these and other allegations.)

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Many who helped to lead Eritrea to its independence in 1991 and establish the current regime were academics, students and physicians — the very type of people (and, in some cases, the actual people) that the country’s leaders are now marginalizing. This irony should not be a surprise, given that thriving academic institutions in new regimes can serve as hotbeds of dissidence, unrest and further revolution.

For a country such as Eritrea to reach a stable equilibrium, this destructive cycle must be broken. And this is perhaps the best lesson that Eritrea can give to nations that must build new governments. It is expected that academics will be involved in the overthrow of unjust regimes, and that they will subsequently be called on to support burgeoning governments. But these people must strive to remain independent from the start. The desire to trust and indulge former comrades may be strong, yet academics must reject all interference and resist any attempt by government to grab control of institutions.

To stand up to power in this way is difficult, but there is much at stake. Independent institutions will produce and support well-informed, independent citizens, who remain the most effective defence against corruption and the abuse of power.

Three unlawful immigrants from Eritrea were discovered on Monday in a lorry, laden with coffins, at the northern French port of Dunkirk, as these immigrants were attempting to enter the UK unlawfully through French territory. The UK Home Office has highlighted on Wednesday that the troika were arrested after sniffer dog, Mitzy, detected them hiding in a Bulgarian-registered lorry in Dunkirk.

The Home Office has also remarked that the lorry, which was waiting to board a ferry to the UK, was carrying dozens of boxed-up coffins, heading for a funeral director in Hounslow, west London.

The Eritrean refugees, after being detected, were handed over to the French border police. The lorry was permitted to go to its desired destination.

Paul Morgan, Border Force Director for South East and Europe, has remarked that this unearthing of Eritrean illegal immigrants is uncommon as unlawful immigrants in the past have been uncovered but only in arrays of freight involving dog biscuits and bathtubs.

Morgan has stated that this discovery of Eritrean illegal immigrants shows the commonsensicality of the decision to position Border Force staff in France. This thwarts illegal immigrants from touching the UK soil preemptively.

Various technologies are employed by the Border Force personnel to detect illegal immigrants such as ‘heartbeat detectors’ and ‘carbon dioxide probes’, uttered Morgan.

Immigrants from impoverished African countries like Eritrea and Ethiopia seek a better economic life in Western Europe, for which they attempt unlawful means to enter Western European nations, which has, on occasions, produced disastrous consequences for these illegal immigrants.

Even if they manage to enter a Western European nation illegally, life isn’t a bed of roses for many immigrants, who have to encounter scorn from the indigenous population, which is also in search of jobs that illegal immigrants want.

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About Me

Prof. Muse Tegegne has lectured sociology Change & Liberation in Europe, Africa and Americas. He has obtained Doctorat es Science from the University of Geneva. A PhD in Developmental Studies & ND in Natural Therapies. He wrote on the problematic of the Horn of Africa extensively. He Speaks Amharic, Tigergna, Hebrew, English, French. He has a good comprehension of Arabic, Spanish and Italian.